Flu shot? What do leading docs say?

[kristin0713]

If your child sees one of the leading PANS/PANDAS doctors, do they recommend the flu shot?

I'm not looking for opinions, I want to know the consensus among the leading doctors.  My personal opinion has always been NO flu shot.  But my daughter's immunologist highly recommends it for her.  She is very pro-vaccine to begin with, and influenza was what sent my daughter into full blown PANS symptoms last year. To top it off, my son was hospitalized with complications from influenza (myositis) last year as we were battling DD's PANS.  DD's doctor has been amazing and I feel like she has saved her life.  She is 98% better I would say.  But I am so torn about this flu shot issue.  I wonder, what would Dr. Trifiletti or Dr. Latimer say? Or the Stanford doctors?

Edited September 14, 2017 by kristin0713
Typos

[bobh]

I can only say that I heard that Dr. Swedo is clearly pro-vaccine.  At the Oct. 2016 PANS conference (I wasn't there, but had someone in a group I am in report from there), she stated her support for vaccines on the first day.  This does not necessarily encompass the flu shot (not sure), but on day 2 of that conference, she explained further with something like (paraphrased): "yes, you will likely flare with the vaccine, but it's better to be able to 'plan' for the flare. Do the vaccine on a Friday for example, and have the flare. The flare you'd get from the actual illness would be worse than from the vaccine."

From that, I am imagining she would say "get the flu shot, because its better than getting the flu".

For what its worth, I personally am not taking that advice.

[Gpookie]

Flu shot is fine.  Flu mist (live vaccine), no way in h*ll. Also, no H1N1.

H

We have followed Dr. Latimer's advice for several years.

Edited September 16, 2017 by Gpookie

[bws1565]

I would not do the flu shot, and that is MY own opinion not that of a doctor.  The flu shot is the most highly controversial vaccine, with the most annual injuries reported.  Besides that,you have to pray, that it should be good match for the circulating strain.  With that being said, preventing the flu with high doses of vitamin D, is in my opinion, a much better bet.

Check out Dr. Sherry Tenpenny's video. "Flu and the Flu Vaccine: Whats coming through the needle".

[4Nikki]

"Scary"

[kristin0713]

Yeah I know it's scary,  believe me I am distraught over even considering this. I watched my 11yo daughter change from healthy and typical to completely anorexic, withdrawn, plagued by OCD, terrified to leave my side, and having urinary accidents within days of getting the flu.  I also watched my son become basically paralyzed and in excruciating pain from myositis as a complication with the flu, needed to have him hospitalized and later transferred to a higher level hospital all while DD was in the thick of her PANS symptoms.  I only very selectively vaxed my kids and spread them out.  I hate vaccines.  We have never done the flu shot.  I don't WANT to get them the shot.  But now I have my healthy kids back and I want to keep them that way and I don't know what to do.  

[4Nikki]

Weight the risk. Proactive or not if you doctor is not making informed recommendations then it's near useless recommendations

From my experience, you can forget about what Trifiletti's opinion is. 

Our DD's pandas doc, says since she is not exposed outside the house, don't get the shot. If she were going to school, then we would consider it.